CHRUSP is in the early stages of developing a project to analyze U.S. legislation on legal capacity and mental health in light of the CRPD and make appropriate recommendations.

Human rights monitoring and enforcement

CHRUSP is coordinating work on a report on the human rights of persons with disabilities for the Universal Periodic Review of the United States, which will take place in the Human Rights Council on November 5, 2010. The report is completed (see UPR Report) and work has begun to lobby UN delegations to make recommendations requested by our report. Please contact us if you would like to participate.

Education

CHRUSP has supplied speakers for conferences and seminars in the U.S. and in other countries including Spain, Australia and Canada.

CHRUSP is planning to produce DVDs to promote awareness and understanding of human rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Spotlight on issues

CHRUSP is concerned about the use of repressive mental health interventions in the penal system and about the uncritical promotion of coercive medical model mental health treatment as a panacea for criminal justice problems. CHRUSP will be undertaking advocacy and educational activities to oppose the medicalization of criminal justice and promote alternatives supportive to prison abolition and reform movements, and supportive of the full human rights of people labeled with psychiatric disabilities.

CHRUSP services

CHRUSP offers its services to support the work of other organizations whose goals are compatible with the CHRUSP mission. These services can include:

Depending on the nature of the engagement, fees may be requested. If funding is needed to carry out these activities, CHRUSP will work with the organization requesting its services to apply for grants or conduct fundraising activities.

Peru's Legal Capacity Reform

Peru has enacted the first legal capacity reform that complies with CRPD in its overall approach, despite flaws as indicated in the commentary by Sodis (civil society organization that worked on the reform).

CHRUSP is looking for new board members to join us in building and expanding our work beyond present capabilities. Please read the notice in pdf and word to learn more.

Campaign to Support CRPD Absolute Prohibition of Commitment and

In early 2016 we created an exciting initiative to support CRPD Articles 12 and 14, and the CRPD Committee's interpretations establishing an absolute prohibition of commitment and forced treatment. Over 40 participants in Europe, North America, Latin America, Australia and Asia wrote blog posts addressing the significance of the absolute prohibition as survivors, allies, relatives, researchers, activists, and lawyers. Blog posts are compiled at http://absoluteprohibition.org.

When the Campaign ended, participants wanted to network and do more. In December 2016 we started connecting by email and teleconferences. It is not clear where the Campaign will go from here, but we hope to foster collaboration and joint projects.

CRPD course

CHRUSP aims to build capacity of users and survivors of psychiatry and allies to work on CRPD implementation and monitoring/enforcement from a position of knowledge and understanding. Tina Minkowitz, CHRUSP President and Founder, has created a CRPD course from a survivor perspective that is offered online and via webinar. Please see http://crpdcourse.org for information.

CRPD Committee General Comment on Legal Capacity

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2014 issued General Comment No. 1 on Article 12, saying that mental capacity cannot justify a removal of legal capacity and that we have legal capacity at all times including in crisis situations. It declares that forced psychiatric interventions always violate Article 12 and infringe the right to be free from torture and ill-treatment. Read here

CRPD Committee Guidelines on Article 14

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2015 issued Guidelines on Article 14, liberty and security of the person, which develop in many dimensions the premise that involuntary internment and involuntary treatment in mental health services are prohibited. The Guidelines join General Comment No. 1 as major statements by the CRPD Committee that uphold the right to be treated equally in law and society in all respects, of users and survivors of psychiatry/ people with psychosocial disabilities.

US CRPD ratification, RUDs

This is the current version of reservations, understandings and declarations (RUDs) to the CRPD approved by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee a few years ago. In 2017 it is not likely that the current Administration or Congress will ratify any human rights treaties, so for the time being ratification is on hold. The RUDs significantly lower the value of CRPD ratification to users and survivors of psychiatry; there are complex ways they can play out. See our US CRPD and human rights reporting page for more information.